Pam OlsenWelcome to my new website. It will be both fun and informative. It will have five of my favorite topics: pictures, thoughts, recipes, gardening ideas and did you know? Please enjoy, leave comments, ask questions and visit often.

You may have already seen these tips, but I have added a few more and decided to post them again.

Winter driving conditions are here, I thought I might list a few little known safety tips.

Just as a car windshield gets dirty during driving and especially during a rain or snow storm, so does car headlights. Be aware of dirty film that may buildup on lights, making night driving dangerous. Keep all lights clean.

When at a gas station, clean lights as well as the windshield.

Keep a bottle of window cleaner in your car along with some towels. We’ve all been there, when we are out of windshield washer fluid and the windshield is covered in grime.

Traveling during a snow storm, snow may build up on all of your lights, headlights, breaklights and even turning signals. Cars now have newer lights that don’t get hot like the older cars, so snow does not melt off of the lights, making safe driving an issue.

Make sure to clean all frost and snow from all windows before driving. It is for everyone’s safety.

It is also a good idea to keep some snacks and a gallon of water in case you need them. NOTE: Keep the gallon of water in a tub and secure it so it won’t spill. Don’t fill it to the top, leave at least three inches of space at the top to allow room to freeze.

As there is over a foot of snow outside, my thoughts turn to gardening…what else?

Reasons to have your own garden.

1. It is a cheap way to raise your own food and know where it came from.
2. It is nice to have fresh vegetables that also taste good.
3. It is good exercise.
4. It is fun to learn new garden techniques.
5. It is fun to grow new and different vegetables and flowers.
6. It is nice to visit with other gardeners about the latest flowers or vegetables.
7. It is rewarding to see your efforts bloom.
8. It is fun to improve your gardening skills, learning more every day, every year.
9. It is therapeutic.
10. It brings families closer together as you teach each other how to garden.

“Courage is the price that Life exacts for granting peace,
The soul that knows it not, knows no release,
From little things;
Knows not the livid loneliness of fear
Nor mountain heights where bitter joy can hear
The sound of wings.”
— Amelia Earhart 1897-1937

“Everyone has ocean’s to fly, if they have the heart to do it. Is it reckless? Maybe. But what do dreams know of boundaries?”
— Amelia Earhart

There is a book called Buy Ketchup in May and Fly at Noon. It has all kinds of tips about when to buy things and the best time to do things.
You can find it on the Internet here. This link takes you to Amazon where you can look inside the book. It has about 20 tips you can read for free, then deside if you want to purchase the book. Used copies are also available.

If you are like me, your garden hoses are still in the garden. Why you ask? Well I don’t know, we did have a extra long Fall and I did have lots of time to put them away, but just didn’t get around to it. I did get all of my bushes and trees watered when the weather was still good. I wanted just one more week of good weather. Now the hoses are under 2″ of snow!!!

So I thought I would give tips about cold weather hoses.

1. When the weather begins to get cold and the temperature drops to the high 30’s it is time to unhook all hoses from the house. Did you know that the freezing water in the hoses can make the water pipes so cold it can FREEZE THE WATER PIPES IN THE HOUSE!!!!! So unhook all hoses or keep the water running in the hoses 24 hours a day to give trees and bushes a good drink before Winter comes.

2. NEVER WALK ON A FROZEN HOSE, NEVER MOVE A FROZEN HOSE. Frozen hoses break very easily. Growing up my Dad always reminded me in no uncertain terms NEVER to step on a frozen or cold hose, whether it had water running in it or not.

3. Wait for a warm day, drain the hoses of water, then roll the hoses and put them away.